As of September 2018, this page of the NTX Trails Progression Guide is incomplete. Please check back often for updates.
Most new mountain bikers cut their teeth on beginner-level trails. Such trails are typically designated with signage bearing a green circle as shown in the chart above.
Typically, green trails are safe for beginners to try out on their own, though we still recommend that new riders do their first trail rides with a friend or in a group. Trail riding on a mountain bike is somewhat different than riding a street bike or cruiser on pavement.
Green trails, while beginner-friendly, still offer increased grades for uphills and downhills, and may have both avoidable and unavoidable obstacles. As the chart above shows, the unavoidable obstacles should be 2-inches tall or shorter, which is small enough for mountain bike tires to simply roll over. Having said that, even tiny obstacles can throw an unprepared rider from their bike, so new riders should use caution and discretion as they learn new bike-handling skills.
In addition, and this cannot be stressed enough, a trail that is rated green for beginners will not necessarily adhere to the standards laid out on the chart above. Many times, trail ratings are subjective, meaning that the person(s) who gave the trail its rating may be under- or overestimating the trail’s actual difficulty—especially for a new rider. On top of this, when you look up trails online on sites such as Trailforks or MTB Project, the rating shown may not be the official rating, but rather the editor’s personal estimation of the trail’s difficulty in relation to their own skills.
On more caveat about green trails—and really any trail—is that the rating given is the average rating for the entire trail or trail segment. This means that, in the instance of a green trail, the majority of the trail may be beginner-friendly but still contain short segments or individual features that are more difficult. Thankfully for most beginner trails, you’ll find bypasses for such technical trail features but there’s no guarantee.
Not sure what some of the words in this article mean? Be sure to check out our Glossary of MTB Terms and Slang.
The following is a list of green, beginner-friendly trails in North Texas.
Just because a location is listed here does not mean all of the trails at that particular location are beginner-friendly—only that the location has at least one loop or segment that is rated green.
Always do your own research, know your own skill level, and don’t ride beyond what your comfortable handling. Never be embarrassed to walk your bike until your skills increase. Do not ride closed or wet trails.
NTX Beginner Trails
- Barber Hills
- Big Cedar Wilderness Trail
- Bringle Lake
- Cameron Park
- Cedar Hill State Park
- Chisenhall Bike Trail
- Cleburne State Park
- Cooper Lake State Park
- Corinth Community Park
- Coyote Loop at Wakefield Heights Park
- Dinosaur Valley State Park
- Eisenhower State Park
- Endeavor Bridgeport Adventure Park
- Frisco Northwest Community DORBA Trail
- Gateway Park
- Harry Moss Park
- Horseshoe Trail
- Katie Jackson Park
- Knob Hills
- Lake Arrowhead State Park
- Lake Tawakoni
- L.B. Houston Nature Trails
- Mineola Nature Preserve—Greer Hill
- Mobberly Baptist Church Trails
- Oak Cliff Nature Preserve
- Outdoor Adventure—A&M Commerce
- Parks of Aledo Trail
- Prothro Center
- River Legacy Park
- Rowlett Creek Preserve
- SFA Recreational Trail
- Solavaca Ranch
- South Lakes Park
- Squabble Creek
- The NETT
- Tyler State Park
- Waterloo Lake Regional Park
- Waxahachie Mountain Bike Trails
- Windmill Hill Nature Preserve